Chapter 31: The Scarf

Chapter 31: The Scarf

Jiang Yancheng had been watching them the entire time.

It was only after a long while that he finally spoke: "Mianmian."

Shen Mian had a gut feeling that Jiang Yancheng was off, and that the strange mood was most likely because of him. He hurriedly said to the girl beside him, "Sorry, my friend came to pick me up. I can't go to the library with you today."

Qi Fei also noticed the person ahead, glanced at him curiously a couple of times, then smiled and said, "No worries! Have fun with your friend."

As she left, she playfully teased, "Your friend is so handsome! No wonder handsome guys only hang out with other handsome guys, hahaha~"

Shen Mian watched her retreating figure before reluctantly making his way over to Jiang Yancheng's side.

The man was much taller than him, and even looking up, he could only see his chin.

A cold breeze carried a familiar woody scent to him. Shen Mian took a deep breath and stepped forward, asking, "You're back so soon?"

Just yesterday on the phone, he'd said he needed another two or three days.

If he'd kept his mouth shut, it would've been fine—but the moment he spoke, it sounded like he was disappointed Jiang Yancheng had come back so early.

Jiang Yancheng looked down and said coldly, "I came back early. Disappointed?"

Shen Mian's eyes widened in shock, and he mumbled, "N-no... I'm not."

Jiang Yancheng didn't say anything else, but his expression stayed grim. He turned and walked toward where he'd parked the car, signaling for Shen Mian to follow. Shen Mian didn't dare ask anything else, hugging his textbooks tightly as he lowered his head and followed behind Jiang Yancheng.

Luckily, there weren't many people near the dorm, and they didn't run into anyone he knew on the way. Shen Mian sighed in relief and got into the passenger seat.

"Bang!" The door slammed shut. Jiang Yancheng gripped the steering wheel, expression blank, and started the engine.

They quickly drove out of the university campus, the scenery outside the window rushing backward. Shen Mian sat brooding in the passenger seat, trying to minimize his presence, even quieting his breathing.

During the drive, he'd figured out why Jiang Yancheng was suddenly upset. It was probably because he had seen him with the younger female classmate and misread something between them...

Shen Mian fidgeted with his fingers, hesitating whether to explain. After all, he and Qi Fei hadn't done anything—he was already Jiang Yancheng's lover, and even if he did have any thoughts, he would never go and get involved with another girl at a time like this.

Before he could figure out how to bring it up, the car suddenly pulled over at the next corner.

The road was lined with evergreen trees on both sides, their leaves rustling in the cold wind. The area was secluded, with almost no cars or people passing by, and not even a streetlight. Once Jiang Yancheng turned off the headlights, the surroundings were plunged into silent darkness.

Shen Mian was confused and about to ask why they'd stopped here when he heard the "click" of a seatbelt unbuckling.

Before he could react, a large shadow loomed over him. Jiang Yancheng leaned over and pressed him back into the passenger seat.

Shen Mian felt his heart pounding out of control. He was forced to look up and met Jiang Yancheng's dark, icy eyes.

At this close range, he could almost feel the man's rapid breathing.

Jiang Yancheng looked at him for a long moment before finally speaking: "I can tolerate anything you do, but I will never allow you to like someone else..."

His hand gently brushed Shen Mian's cheek, his fingertips tracing those soft lips, his voice casual but dripping with menace: "Don't let anyone else touch you—man or woman. It'll make me unhappy."

Shen Mian was about to explain when Jiang Yancheng leaned in and kissed him. Before he could make a sound, his words were swallowed up.

Jiang Yancheng kissed him fiercely, his hand gripping Shen Mian's waist tightly, not giving him a chance to push away.

Shen Mian was kissed into a daze, his nose full of Jiang Yancheng's familiar scent.

In the pitch-black car, the two who'd been apart for days held each other and kissed for a long, long time. No one spoke, only the sound of tangled, ragged breaths.

It wasn't until Jiang Yancheng took off the scarf around Shen Mian's neck and tossed it aside, then urgently pulled open the belt of his coat... that Shen Mian finally realized what Jiang Yancheng intended to do.

Panicking, he pressed down on Jiang Yancheng's hand, his voice hoarse and trembling: "Don't... not here..."

Even though there were no streetlights and few cars or people passed by, they were still outside...

Shen Mian frantically tried to push Jiang Yancheng away, but the man blocking him was as immovable as a mountain. A sense of helplessness washed over him, and he could only bite his lip hard, not daring to make a sound.

Jiang Yancheng's kisses fell like spring rain, dotting Shen Mian's lips and cheeks—fierce in their arrival, yet incredibly gentle in their movements.

Shen Mian didn't know what Jiang Yancheng pressed, but the passenger seat slowly reclined back. Shen Mian struggled to sit up, but Jiang Yancheng pulled him firmly back into his arms.

"Be good~ Don't move." The man's deep, magnetic voice sounded in Shen Mian's ear, carrying an indescribable allure.

"The windows have privacy glass—no one can see inside from outside." Seeming to notice Shen Mian's nervousness, Jiang Yancheng whispered a reassurance in his ear before kissing his lips again.

Maybe his explanation worked, because the person in his arms stopped resisting as much.

The passenger seat was fully reclined. Jiang Yancheng braced himself on one hand beside Shen Mian, wrapped his other arm around his waist, and deepened the kiss.

The days of separation, the longing across hundreds of miles—he expressed it all through his actions in this moment. Shen Mian gradually relaxed under his gentle kisses, letting his hands rest at his sides, quietly letting him kiss him.

Jiang Yancheng pressed his nose against Shen Mian's forehead, looking at the person below him who was obediently cooperating, the longing in his eyes growing stronger. He turned on the car's music, and the soft classical instrumental melody, along with the rustling of the evergreen trees in the night wind, masked the subtle sounds inside the car.

Occasionally, a car would whoosh past, causing the person beneath him to tremble slightly.

...

By the time everything was over, Shen Mian was too exhausted to even open his eyes. He lay curled up on the seat, eyes closed, covered by Jiang Yancheng's coat. A section of his calf, pale as jade, peeked out from under the coat, a faint red bite mark on the delicate, fair skin.

Jiang Yancheng leaned beside him, his long lashes hiding the emotions in his eyes. He reached out, his fingertip tracing the bite mark, then gently stroked Shen Mian's face and pressed a tender kiss to his cheek.

Shen Mian didn't seem to be sleeping deeply. When he turned over, the coat slipped off a little, revealing a small patch of shoulder. As Jiang Yancheng pulled the coat back up to cover him, his gaze accidentally fell on the scarf that had been yanked aside earlier.

The cream-white wool scarf had a small, exquisitely embroidered lamb at the very bottom corner—it was the gift he'd given Shen Mian before.

Jiang Yancheng picked up the scarf, the warmth and softness of the fabric against his fingertips as if it still held Shen Mian's body heat. He swallowed hard, a hint of regret surfacing in his eyes as he looked at the person beside him.

He'd been quite rough with Shen Mian just now. He wondered if he'd scared him.

Ever since meeting Shen Mian, his self-control, which he'd always prided himself on, had diminished considerably. Whenever it involved him, he could never seem to keep his emotions in check.

Like a teenage boy with his first crush.

Jiang Yancheng smiled bitterly and shook his head, then carefully wrapped the scarf back around Shen Mian. Only then did he start the car and drive the sleeping man home.

Bori Royal Residence was completely silent. Jiang Yancheng carried Shen Mian from the parking garage and took the elevator up. The motion-sensor light in the third-floor hallway flickered on quietly. The person in his arms was as light as a cloud, barely weighing anything.

Jiang Yancheng reached out and gently pushed open the door, laying the sleeping man on the bed in the middle of the bedroom. He changed him into clean pajamas and tucked the blanket around him. Afraid of waking Shen Mian, he deliberately made every movement as gentle as possible.

Shen Mian slept peacefully, his lips, delicate as cherry blossoms, gently pressed together. Jiang Yancheng's thumb brushed across his lips before he finally gave in and leaned down to kiss him.

"Sleep well, sweetheart~" he whispered.

...

Shen Mian slept for over four hours and didn't wake up until ten o'clock that night.

He opened his eyes groggily, his gaze landing on the familiar white ceiling, realizing Jiang Yancheng had brought him home.

His body still ached a little. Shen Mian was just about to get up when a figure appeared at his side.

"You're awake." Jiang Yancheng sat down on the edge of the bed, reaching over to tuck Shen Mian's messy bedhead hair behind his ear, asking softly, "Are you feeling uncomfortable anywhere?"

Shen Mian felt a flutter in his chest, and he shook his head, eyes downcast.

He wasn't feeling too bad, just a little sore in the lower back. Even though Jiang Yancheng had seemed rough earlier, he hadn't actually been forceful—if anything, he'd been pretty gentle.

"I'm sorry." Jiang Yancheng suddenly spoke up. "Was I too rough earlier? Did I scare you?"

Shen Mian was caught off guard and was about to shake his head, but Jiang Yancheng had already taken his hand and pressed his forehead against Shen Mian's. He looked at Shen Mian, the deep affection in his eyes practically melting: "I'm sorry, baby. I shouldn't have treated you like that earlier. I lost control of my emotions, and I'm sorry."

He sounded so sincere that Shen Mian was completely stunned. He never thought Jiang Yancheng would actually apologize, and honestly, he didn't think it was that big a deal... Sure, he'd said no to doing it in the car, but he hadn't actually felt uncomfortable while it was happening.

When Shen Mian didn't say anything, Jiang Yancheng figured he was still mad. He pressed Shen Mian's hand to his cheek and nuzzled it gently, his voice taking on a slightly hurt tone: "It's just that I like you so much, I can't stand seeing you get close to anyone else."

"I'm scared you might suddenly fall for someone else. I'd get jealous—I'd lose my mind." he said, dead serious.

After all, Shen Mian had admitted before that he couldn't accept two guys being together, and that being with him now was just a reluctant compromise to pay off his debt. So whenever he saw a pretty girl around Shen Mian, Jiang Yancheng couldn't help but overthink.

Hearing that, Shen Mian was a bit at a loss. Fall for someone else... How could he possibly fall for someone else?

He'd never been in a relationship before, and now that things had gone this far with Jiang Yancheng, how could he even think about dating someone else?

"Don't worry," Shen Mian said softly. "I won't fall for anyone else."

At least until he'd fully paid off his debt to Jiang Yancheng, he wouldn't do anything to upset him.

His soft reassurance worked like a charm on Jiang Yancheng, who smiled and said, "Alright, I believe you."

He scooped Shen Mian up from the bed: "You slept for so long—you must be hungry, right? The housekeeper made food. I'll have her bring it up."

Shen Mian glanced at the clock and hesitated. "It's a little late..."

"It's not late—we'll just call it a midnight snack." Jiang Yancheng helped him out of bed and pulled out his phone to call the housekeeper downstairs.

The housekeeper was fast—she showed up with a serving cart in no time. Jiang Yancheng's bedroom had its own little dining spot—a small round table tucked in the corner by the window.

The housekeeper had made five dishes and a soup, all of them looking amazing—colorful and fragrant enough to make your mouth water.

Jiang Yancheng guided him to the small round table: "Last time I noticed you liked shrimp, so I had the housekeeper make extra this time."

As he talked, he pulled over the plate of boiled shrimp, shelled them with practiced ease, and lined them up neatly on the empty plate in front of Shen Mian. Before long, a little pile of pale pink shells had built up in front of him.

Shen Mian sat quietly beside him, eating. Compared to how nervous and awkward he'd been during their first meal together, he was way more relaxed this time—occasionally even looking up to tell Jiang Yancheng to eat too.

Jiang Yancheng was happy to see the change. It was good—and if Shen Mian could learn to rely on him more, that'd be even better.

"Try this foie gras—it's the housekeeper's signature dish." Jiang Yancheng scooped up a piece of the braised foie gras and held it to Shen Mian's lips.

Shen Mian hesitantly opened his mouth and took the bite.

The soft, silky foie gras melted right on his tongue—smooth like milk, not greasy at all, and packed with flavor.

Delicious.

While Shen Mian was still savoring the foie gras, Jiang Yancheng piled on some braised beef brisket, scallops with vermicelli, sweet and sour pork ribs... By the time Shen Mian looked down, his plate was about to overflow.

He quickly stopped Jiang Yancheng from adding more: "That's enough—it's about to spill. How am I supposed to eat all this by myself? You should eat some too!"

Jiang Yancheng wrapped an arm around Shen Mian's too-thin waist and said worriedly, "You're so skinny—you need to eat more. Put on some weight, and you won't get sick so easily."

Shen Mian gave a soft "mm" and obediently lowered his head to eat what was being fed to him. The shrimp were plump and juicy, the beef tender and tasty—every bite was amazing. Shen Mian felt his empty stomach slowly fill up, and a happy smile spread across his face.

Jiang Yancheng sat beside him, focused on feeding him, taking a bite himself now and then, but mostly just resting his chin on his hand and quietly watching Shen Mian eat.

When they were done, another housekeeper—the one in charge of cleaning—came up to clear things. She was quick, tidied everything up in no time, and didn't even glance their way.

After she left, Shen Mian couldn't help asking, "Do the housekeepers live here too?"

"Yeah." Jiang Yancheng tightened his arms and pulled Shen Mian into a hug. "They all live on the first floor. They usually don't come up here unless they're cleaning."

"What's wrong? Does baby not want anyone to see us being close?"

Shen Mian, caught red-handed, nodded awkwardly.

Jiang Yancheng chuckled. "It's fine. They're all professionally trained—they don't ask questions they shouldn't, and they don't talk."

He sat down next to Shen Mian, casually slipping an arm around his waist, and asked softly, "Did you miss me?"

Shen Mian hesitated, then gave a tiny nod, his ears turning red. "Mm."

Seeing how shy and flustered he was, Jiang Yancheng wanted to tease him even more. He deliberately lowered his voice. "Mm?"

"What does 'mm' mean? Yes or no?"

Shen Mian's ears went completely red from the relentless teasing. He looked up, flustered, and met Jiang Yancheng's amused, smiling eyes.

"I did," Shen Mian whispered, his voice barely audible.

But Jiang Yancheng heard him. He smiled, his whole face lighting up with ease. He wrapped both arms around Shen Mian and said slowly, "I missed you so much too, baby!"

Shen Mian leaned obediently against his chest, one arm looped around Jiang Yancheng's neck. His embrace was warm and comfortable.

Suddenly remembering something, he pulled out his phone, opened his gallery, and showed Jiang Yancheng a photo. "Look at this. Is it pretty?"

Jiang Yancheng looked down. On the screen, a white-haired goddess in a short skirt held a flute, her long snow-white hair falling over her chest, lips as red as peach blossoms, features delicate and striking—clearly recognizable as Shen Mian.

Jiang Yancheng traced the photo with his fingers, his Adam's apple bobbing involuntarily.

"When was this taken?" he asked.

Shen Mian answered truthfully, "A few days ago."

"You took it a few days ago—why didn't you send it to me then?" Jiang Yancheng asked softly. "Or... does baby want to dress up like this and show me in person?"

Shen Mian's face turned bright red at that, a pretty pink spreading across his cheeks. He explained quietly, "It's... a character from an anime."

"I have a friend in the anime club who asked me to cosplay a character, so that's why I took the photo." Shen Mian then explained everything about helping out at the anime club over the past few days. "The girl you saw today is also in the anime club. We'd just finished rehearsing and went to the library together."

Jiang Yancheng listened, the smile at the corner of his mouth growing deeper. "Mm, I see."

His hand gently stroked Shen Mian's waist, like he was touching something priceless. "It's really beautiful. That dress suits you perfectly."

"Oh, baby, I brought you a gift from my business trip too. I really like it—not sure if you will, though." Jiang Yancheng said, sounding mysterious.

Now curious, Shen Mian couldn't help poking his head out of the embrace. "What is it?"

Jiang Yancheng smiled at him, took out an elegantly wrapped gift box from the cabinet beside the sofa, and handed it to Shen Mian, gesturing for him to open it.

Shen Mian took it curiously and opened it almost without hesitation.

Inside the box was a piece of fabric as soft as silk, embroidered with intricate gold and silver thread patterns that shimmered brilliantly under the light.

It wasn't until Shen Mian pulled it all the way out that he realized it was a sheer silk nightgown. The silk was thin and incredibly smooth, slightly translucent. The bottom was a skirt design, with no pants. The shoulders had loose ribbon ties—the kind that wouldn't stay tied, coming undone with just a slight tug of the fingertips. The silky fabric would... slip off the shoulders, sliding down until it hung at the waist...

How... how scandalous this thing was! Shen Mian felt the nightgown in his hands turn into a hot potato—he desperately wanted to throw it back in the box.

"What's wrong? Don't you like the gift I prepared?" Jiang Yancheng raised an eyebrow and asked.

"..." Shen Mian said in a small voice, "It's... too sheer, and the hem is too short."

"It's not. I picked the size specifically—it won't be short, it'll just barely cover you there..." Jiang Yancheng leaned close to his ear and said, "I picked this out specially for you, baby. It'll look gorgeous on you."

He leaned down slightly, his lips brushing against Shen Mian's cheek, his low voice dripping with seductive charm: "Baby, will you wear this after your shower?"

Shen Mian refused, face flushed red, mumbling stubbornly, "No~"

Jiang Yancheng wrapped his arms around his waist, pulling him into his embrace, patiently coaxing him over and over with sweet talk until Shen Mian's cheeks were rosy red. In the end, he gave in, clutching the sheer, featherlight silk nightgown and heading into the bathroom, face red.

This time, Shen Mian didn't dawdle in the shower and came out right on time. The outfit was indeed a bit sheer—collarbones peeked out from the neckline, and the silk nightgown swayed gently with each step, his waistline faintly visible through the translucent fabric.

Jiang Yancheng's gaze turned scorching as it locked onto Shen Mian, unable to look away.

He chuckled softly: "So pretty, baby~"

"Come here."

Shen Mian, cheeks flushed, shuffled over to him reluctantly.

Once he was close, Jiang Yancheng pulled him straight into his arms, wrapping him up completely: "So gorgeous, so pretty~"

"Will you wear this from now on?" Jiang Yancheng traced his fingers lightly over the straps of Shen Mian's nightgown, his lowered eyes dark with unreadable desire.

Shen Mian shook his head, ears red: "No."

Seeing him so obedient and shy, Jiang Yancheng could no longer hold back. He reached out and pulled him into his arms, saying softly, "Alright. Then wear it whenever you're in the mood, baby."

With that, he leaned in and kissed him, and while Shen Mian was distracted, his fingers at the ribbon tie gave a deft tug. The nightgown, thin as a wisp of cloud, slid down smoothly, revealing a stretch of skin as radiant as polished jade.

...